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U.S. Supreme Court allows sports betting ban in NJ to remain
New Jersey would like to have sports betting parlors like this one in Dover, Del. (Associated Press file photo)
Brent Johnson/The Star-Ledger By Brent Johnson/The Star-Ledger
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on June 23, 2014 at 11:00 AM, updated June 23, 2014 at 11:13 AM
TRENTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed a ban on sports betting in New Jersey to remain in place.
The state had appealed to the nation’s highest court in its effort to legalize betting on professional and college sports at Atlantic City casinos and the state’s racetracks.
But the justices did not comment as they let stand a lower court ruling that struck down New Jersey’s sports betting law because it conflicts with federal law that allows state-sanctioned gambling only in Nevada and three other states.
Gov. Chris Christie led the appeal, arguing that New Jersey was attempting to curb illegal sports betting and bring the state some of the money it had lost because of it. New Jersey officials say about $500 billion is bet illegally on sports every year.
State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), the lawmaker who sponsored the legislation, vowed today to keep battling.
"This is a disappointing decision, but our fight is not over," he said in a statement.
Lesniak said he plans to introduce a bill today to repeal all laws prohibiting sports betting in the state.
"I expect that the U.S. Justice Department will refrain from intervening, as they have with Colorado and Washington when those states legalized marijuana," he said. "I plan on placing my first bet at Monmouth Racetrack on Sept. 8 for the Giants to beat the spread against the Lions on Monday Night Football."
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) also said New Jersey isn’t giving up.
"The economic impact that sports wagering can have on New Jersey is far too important to simply shrug our shoulders and move on," Sweeney said in a statement. "We will be working with our legal team and advocates to determine the best course of action moving forward. New Jersey has been held hostage by this unfair law and the national sports associations long enough. It’s time to bring sports wagering to New Jersey."
The issue started in 2011, when New Jersey voters overwhelmingly voted to amend the state constitution to allow sports wagering. State lawmakers then passed a law too allow it.
But a group of sports organizations — the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, and the National Hockey League — sued to block the law from taking affect, saying it would harm the integrity of their games. President Obama’s administration also opposed New Jersey’s move.
They said the law violated the 1992, Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, enacted by Congress to restrict betting on sports to a four states: Nevada, Delaware, Montana, and Oregon.
A trial judge ruled against the state and that ruling was upheld by a divided panel of the the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.
"New Jersey’s sports wagering law conflicts with PASPA and, under our Constitution, must yield," the court said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Replies:
Posted by: RFink13 on June 28, 2014, 12:48 am
What can the federal government do to a state?
